Ok. There are boys who have their beloved bands. Right? I used to be borderline obsessive too but basically as the teen years progressed obsession was fading into plain fascination. One year it was all fever about Hüsker Dü, the next year were Volcano Suns … and last in line would be a noisy threesome: Bastro/Tar/Bitch Magnet. Bastro I loved best. Motivated by the line below (I hope I correctly deciphered handwriting from the booklet)

gung half a ho slat of rude wine & cevapčiči* a gung half a ho slat left handers all who swore complicated swears of wood smoke and razniči**

I wrote a retarded letter to Louisville, KY and never got a reply.

Bastro played in Slovenia in late 1989 or early 1990. Bitch Magnet missed Zagreb date for some reason and played in easternmost part of Croatia the following day. Silkworm is the only PRF band I can think of, besides BM, that had a concert in that area. Aluminium guitar kings Tar never descended into the Balkans. Shame on you, Tar.

Bastro was GREAT band.

*ćevapčići

**ražnjići

edit: was or were, I'll never know

Last edited by Domagoj on Tue Jul 20, 2010 2:13 pm, edited 2 times in total.

Bastro was amazing. The finest of many fine bands in which David played (although he would definitely disagree w/this statement). Diablo Guapo is such an incredibly juiced-up record; every song tries to be faster, noisier, and more breathless than than the last. I was pretty much addicted to "Shoot Me a Deer" and "Flesh Colored House" in high school. Still sort of am. Sing the Troubled Beast is less exciting but more musical and also damn good. Hell, I even like the first EP w/the drum machine, which might have catchier songs than the other two records (despite sounding a lot like yes, Big Black).

Fans should note that a totally different version of Diablo Guapo exists as a test pressing and as a tape. Only "Shoot Me a Deer" and "Wurlitzer" are the same versions. This early pressing of the record--which was eventually scrapped after the band tightened up on a European tour and decided to re-record--is a good deal slower and a little colder sounding, kind of bridging the sound of the first EP and the McEntire era. I think it was laid down in two sessions, mostly w/Howie Gano in Kentucky, when McEntire was very new to the band. Walford might perform on part of it, as well. A guy who engineered a record by an old band of mine had a tape of this material and used to play it in the van. Steve could probably provide more reliable info than my murky account of this.

OrthodoxEaster wrote: This early pressing of the record--which was eventually scrapped after the band tightened up on a European tour and decided to re-record--is a good deal slower and a little colder sounding, kind of bridging the sound of the first EP and the McEntire era.

During the tour Grubbs finally grabbed McEntire from My Dad is Dead and Bastro became noise-rock powerhouse, or something like that. Poor Mark Edwards.

Domagoj wrote:Bastro played in Slovenia in late 1989 or early 1990. Bitch Magnet missed Zagreb date for some reason and played in easternmost part of Croatia the following day. Silkworm is the only PRF band I can think of, besides BM, that had a concert in that area. Aluminium guitar kings Tar never descended into the Balkans. Shame on you, Tar.

i tried for 8 hours to hitch out of lancashire broke as HELL to london to see what turned out to be their last tour as bastro.. i think it was winter of 90? 91? i don't remember.. cold and shitty, and i didn't make it. i'd just gotten sing the troubled beast-- which i recall-- kinda scared me. between the cover and the music.. i had no IDEA what to make of that record and HAD to see it live. it were a long way from squirrel bait and diablo guapo.. but it melted my mind like nothing else had. i only recently got antlers.. and i think i listened to it for two weeks straight.. i just didn't WANT to listen to anything else.

I've been wanting to know what that sound is at the end of "I Come From a Long Line of Shipbuilders" for a good while now. I've been guessing prepared guitar, though it also has a piano-like timbre to it too, which is what's so confusing about it to me. Anyone else take a shot at this?

If anyone wants a pretty-good-condition Rode Hard And Put Up Wet LP then I just got one and am up for a trade for something. I dunno - anyone got "Who Put Out The Fire?" by Monorchid on LP? Or "Sound In Time" by Lungfish?

Heard the Bastro albums many years ago and while I thought they were okay, they didn't really do anything for me. However, I recently stumbled on them again and I've realised that I've been wrong all these years.

OrthodoxEaster wrote: This early pressing of the record--which was eventually scrapped after the band tightened up on a European tour and decided to re-record--is a good deal slower and a little colder sounding, kind of bridging the sound of the first EP and the McEntire era.

While I have heard about this, I have never actually stumbled across it. Is it floating around out there?

OrthodoxEaster wrote: This early pressing of the record--which was eventually scrapped after the band tightened up on a European tour and decided to re-record--is a good deal slower and a little colder sounding, kind of bridging the sound of the first EP and the McEntire era.

While I have heard about this, I have never actually stumbled across it. Is it floating around out there?

Not that I know of, unfortunately. But I do not tend to consume much online music.

Domagoj wrote:Bastro played in Slovenia in late 1989 or early 1990. Bitch Magnet missed Zagreb date for some reason and played in easternmost part of Croatia the following day. Silkworm is the only PRF band I can think of, besides BM, that had a concert in that area. Aluminium guitar kings Tar never descended into the Balkans. Shame on you, Tar.

The Jesus Lizard in Zagreb, I think 91.

Not to hijack, but The Gary played in Slovenia and Zagreb. Also, Dave N has helped me develop an appreciation for Bastro. Not crap.